2 infected with hepatitis A need liver transplants
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
A drop of blood is takent to be tested for hepatitis.
At least two of the 200-plus hepatitis A victims in Hawaii are so gravely ill that they are on the waiting list for a liver transplant, according to their attorney.
The two women, ages 64 and 68, appeared in normal health before eating scallop sushi and later coming down with the infectious liver disease, according to Bill Marler, managing partner at the food safety law firm Marler Clark in Seattle.
Both are Oahu residents, and they dined separately at Genki Sushi restaurants.
Last week the state Health Department shut down all Genki Sushi outlets on Oahu and Kauai after tainted raw scallops were identified as the source of the hepatitis A outbreak. The scallops, imported from the Philippines, have been recalled.
Marler, who was in Honolulu last week, has interviewed 41 hepatitis A victims or their relatives if the patients was too sick to talk.
“All of these people ate at Genki Sushi, and all of them ate the scallops and all of them have tested positive for hepatitis A,” Marler said. “I’d say the vast majority of them had been hospitalized.”
“There’s still people quite ill and still in the hospital,” he added. “This outbreak is far from over.”
To put the current hepatitis A cases in perspective, the Queen’s Transplant Center has 33 people on the waiting list for a liver transplant for chronic liver disease and acute liver failure.
As of Aug. 17 the Health Department had identified 206 hepatitis A cases in Hawaii, including 51 people who required hospitalization, in the worst outbreak in two decades. Health officials update the number of cases every Wednesday, and it is expected to rise.
On Tuesday the Health Department announced a new case of hepatitis A in a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant. It said the risk of transmission was “extremely low” and that the airline was not the source of the outbreak, but it is publicizing the case as a precaution. Passengers can visit hawaiianairlines.com/hepatitisA for information on affected flights. If a doctor advises vaccination, the airline will cover the cost.
This was the second Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant to come down with hepatitis A. The first one was infected in July.
“This case is a reminder that hepatitis A symptoms can appear up to 50 days after exposure,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park. “This is why we expect to continue to see cases in coming weeks and why we need to remain vigilant to prevent further transmission, even though the product has been pulled off the market.”
Marler is representing many Hawaii residents and two visitors who contracted hepatitis A on Oahu. A nurse from San Diego visited Hawaii and then was hospitalized in Pittsburgh with hepatitis A. She has since returned home. The other is a man who traveled to Hawaii and has returned to Texas.
“Given the fact that this is such a tourism destination, we may be missing ill people who have come here from around the world and have gone home, and so they’re off the radar,” Marler said.
At Genki Sushi the scallops were served raw, chopped and mixed with mayonnaise on top of a rice ball wrapped in nori, or dried seaweed. Some diners didn’t realize the scallops were raw, Marler said.
The frozen scallops were imported by Sea Port Products Corp., a California corporation, which voluntarily recalled them Thursday after Food and Drug Administration tests confirmed they were contaminated with hepatitis A.
The scallops had been distributed in California and Nevada as well as Hawaii.
“We still don’t know if there are going to be sick people from the product being sent to California and Nevada,” Marler said. “My hope is that Honolulu just got a bad batch and that the stuff that went to California and Nevada is not contaminated. But unfortunately, because of the incubation period, we are going to have to wait.”
Hepatitis A can linger from 15 to 50 days in the body before symptoms appear. The first reported patient in Hawaii fell ill on June 12, and the most recent on Aug. 9.
Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice. In rare cases, patients can develop liver failure, especially if they have pre-existing conditions.
The disease is usually spread when a person ingests even microscopic amounts of fecal matter through contaminated food, drink or objects.
Water, shellfish and salads are the most frequent sources of foodborne hepatitis A, according to the FDA. The hardy virus can survive in fresh and sea water as well as freezing temperatures for long periods of time.
Thorough cooking kills the virus. Vigorous hand-washing after using the toilet and before eating can help prevent its spread from one person to another. Vaccination provides long-lasting protection from hepatitis A.
Sea Port Products Corp. recalled three lots of frozen Bay Scallops produced Nov. 23 and 24, with lot numbers 5885, 5886 and 5887. The scallops came from De Oro Resources Inc. in Suba Basbas, Philippines, according to the Hawaii Health Department. None of the product was intended for retail sale.
27 responses to “2 infected with hepatitis A need liver transplants”
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Borderline liver function is going to need transplants. Hep A can be life threatening to immunity compromised individuals (cancer treatment, artificial ligaments, etc.) Immunization is wise.
There needs to be more disclosure on whether any infected persons contracted the virus from other than ingesting tainted scallops knowingly or unknowingly. Has there been any spread of the disease from person to person contact? Has there been anybody who contracted the disease from a contaminated area such as a restroom? The public should have knowledge of these details so that people can know the extent of risk of exposure and to use discretion to avoid certain places. This is a deadly disease and it better to be safe than sorry and allow people to protect themselves.
Wow. The supposed “rail expert” is now a “Medical Expert.” Really? Laughable.
That tells me he’s a concern local.
He’s a lot of things, but he’s about as local as Olive Garden.
I agree just one guy from the mainland putting in his 2 cents for what he no live hea. But birds of feather gotta stick together.
Heard it was from dirty shopping bags!
All food handlers and harvester (commercial fisherman) must be tested and vaccinated. There is no seafood inspection. Come forward Department of Health and test the illegal aliens in the Hawaii Long line fishing fleet. We have no idea who these people are or where the came from. Filthy vessels and bad hygiene. This is a problem. Two in need of liver transplants. Unbelievable. Hope those that became ill recover soon. Sad story.
You’re trying to connect two unrelated things. The scallops in question came from the Philippines, not local fisherman. Neither of the “two in need of liver transplants” were affected by local fishermen. And the Department of Health has no jurisdiction in testing/vaccinating fishermen in the Philippines. If you want to have a ridiculous rant crusade against a group, at least make it accurate.
How about making some of those violent prisoners mandatory organ donors as partial restitution to society!? Time to write the lawmakers and put those waiting on death row on the front of the donor list ASAP!
I’m just curious — if the scallops weren’t intended for retail sale, what were they intended for?
Restaurants.
I know. I was thinking the same thing. I figured restaurants are retail too.
Do you really not know the difference between wholesale and retail?
“Thorough cooking kills the virus” apparently falls on deaf ears. How many times do I have to say this?
“The disease is usually spread when a person ingests even microscopic amounts of fecal matter through contaminated food, drink or objects.” Are you going to thoroughly cook your water and objects?
The Food and Drug Administration should be regulating our imported food for the safety of our citizens. I’d start there. Somehow they haven’t been doing a very good job in assuring that foreign products are safe for human consumption.
When someone has to receive a Liver transplant as a result of tainted food – it’s gone too far.
FDA can’t even regulate and inspect the food supply in the US so why would you expect the government to inspect every food item imaginable? There have been far greater counts of illnesses/deaths in the US from salmonella contamination alone than the inherent risks of eating raw seafood or meat.
“Professor Enzo Palombo, a food health and safety expert and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology at Swinburne University of Technology, said freezing does not kill hepatitis A.
“While the virus does not grow in the frozen food, it still remains infectious and is essentially preserved during transport,” Professor Palombo said.
Then when the food starts to thaw, the virus becomes active again.
“It’s not just viruses, like hepatitis A, but the bacteria we associate with food-borne illnesses, like salmonella, E. coli, listeria, these all can survive freezing temperatures as well,”
Perhaps the government should inspect every food item for safety. Isn’t it why they exist? Or at least take periodic samples of shipments to test to insure safety for US citizens.
inspect every grain of rice for contamination
Inspect every food item? The government? Where exactly do you suppose the FDA will get the financial funding and resources to process such vast amounts of food from every imaginable source.
I have a better suggestion, why don’t you test your own food since the government can’t be even trusted to provide safe drinking water without any lead in it like in some cities on the mainland already. Also, you could revert to old techniques like what kings used to do in the old days, feed your workers first and if they don’t croak after 30 minutes you can dig-in yourself.
From an FDA website, they say “FDA is responsible for the safety of all fish and fishery products entering the United States”. If they are responsible, they have to have some program to inspect food coming into the U.S. It doesn’t mean they have to inspect every piece of food – thus it is not a foolproof system.
Reference: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/ImportsExports/Importing/ucm248706.htm
Genki is done. Sorry.
you’re overestimating the average local’s intelligence and memory. they’ll soon forget this ever happened and will be back grinding their favorite tuna rolls and nigiri.
On the menu it says, “Consuming raw or undercooked foods may increase your risk of food-borne illness”. You are already being warned and eating it at your own risk.
The warning is good information to consumers, however it does not excuse liability if someone gets sick from dining at the restaurant. Put the right attorneys on this and they can spin it any way they want for the jury to decide.
You are right – I looked at the Genki Sushi online menu and it does say that.